Daily Republican., 1887-04-02
!. a noMs Esr.ars,sE.

- IN - ---,------ -
A HONS ENrERPRisE.
IN. wsrus,uuesu ans snd Leather Conn
psny-True Porpoiss. Leather Manu-
s.c,ured In This City-Thc Demand
for 10 Constantly Increasing.
The wilmiuston Oil and Leather
Oonnapy was organized in this city
about two years ago by several enter.
nrisiuR men for the purpose of estab
iishipg q porpoise fishery on the South
tlautic coast and mAuufncturing oil
from the blubber, leather from the hides
and phosphates from the refuse. At
the time there were many who predicted
that the enterprise would never prove 0
success, and many pointed TO the disas.
rrous failure OF the Cape May Company
"a confirmation OF their doubts, but the
Gentlemen concerned In this new enter
prise had fully Investigated the matter
before en- barking IN It, and were conh
dent Of success.
After some difficulty in convincing
certain member of the Legislature OF
1885 that It WAS possible To make leather
from the hide OF q hsh, charter was at
last granted, and the company then
with u. James Belt president,
DR.. g. L. West Woe president, B<pja-
min +. jackson eecretary, Henry o.
Conrad, Esq., treasurer, and Col. John
wainwright as business manager.
Enough stock wss sold 10 secure SUM-
cieut money To purchase nets, boats and
other appliances for fishing, with o
steam engine and the necessary hxtures
for tanning the hides, and converting q
the blubber into oil. As soon as every
thing was ready for operations Colonel
Vain wright and DIR. West proved their
faith In the success OF the undertaking,
the first by selling out fiourishipg dry
goods business and the latter ty relin.
gushing . lucrative practice, equal
with that Of any physician In this city,
and went to the fisheries TO assume full
charge. 1t was the intention TO com
mepce operations about Oct0btr !, 1885,
but with the delays frequently expert
enced in starting new business, nah
irp was mot commenced until Decom.
ber Of that year.
The next difficulty which the com
psny had to con tend with was to get
the hides properly tanned, some were
sent to this city and expertmentcd
upon in several of the morocco mann
factories, but the men who could pro
|duce good leather from animal skin,
found that 1t Was an entirely different
business 10 make o frst-class article
from the hide OF . fsh, and the results
were very unsatisfactory.
As 1t WAS known that there were
factories In England where large mum
bers of white whale and very few
porpoise skins vera tanr ed, 1t was de-
Term ined to send DIR. West to Europe,
for the purpose Of securing petent
man 20 do the work. After contider.
able difficulty ne finally induced ap
Experienced man TO leave his native
laud and accompany him 70 America,
and also obtained the promise OF TWO
others that they would slso come II
they should be needed. Operations
were then com menoed in earnest, and
about three months afterwards the
drst leather was turned out by the
company, aud proved superior 70 any.
thing OF the kind ever put on the
market.
10 the meantime the manufacture OF oil
had not been neglected, and DIR. West,
by seriss Of experiments, succeeded
n producing an excellent oil for
|chropomet another grade for sew
lug machines, and still commoner
grade for general lubricating purposes,
which Was fully tested by tho jackson
h Sharp Company ard other large
manufacturing firms, and pronounced
supe rior to any OF the mineral oils and
as being free from all kinds Of grit, 30
destructive TO uashipery. In q short
time 1t became necessary to send 10Y
the other two men and they came ai
or ce and are still In the employ of the
company.
The products of the company were
exhibited at the State Fair, held .,
Dover last September, and received o
!, silver medal. being the highest award
tor that class OF goods. Fishing wss
Continued until late last spring, aud
he total catch for the se ss0n wns some
+ thing over 2, 600 fish, making over 4 0Ol
sides OF leather, but more could have
been taken II the facilities OF the com
pany would have been Buffi Client tC
work them up before they spoiled. The
| annual meeting was held last August
| and although the operations of the first
year had been mainly experimental
| the results were so entirely satisfactory
+ that the stock advance to the par value
OF S25 per share.
Ado itiopal machinery was ordered
And the schooner Enterprise purchased
or the uss Of the company in taking
supplies 10 the manufActory ard bring
ing the products north, but In view ol
the many difficulties experienced IL
having the manufactory located nl
such distance from tie base OF sup
plies, and also from the market, 1t wat
determined late last fall 10 remove II tC
this city. The old morocco factory al
Lord and Church streets was secured
and the schooner started with . part ol
the plant to come here.
| When she reached Baltimore 1t wal
found that the Delaware and Chess.
peake canal WAS closed, and delay oi
several weeks was occasioued by thi,
cause. As soon ~ the canal opened the
schooner proceeded on her way, reach
Ing this city In safety, and the works
are now being operated to their full ca
pacity. Last Saturday the schooner
arrived here from the fsheries with
200 tanned skins, ready for dressing
and $50 raw hides. These hides art
very thick. and the process OF convert
ing them into leather is highly interest
ing. They are frat piokeled ard after
wards pass through half q dozen othsl
vats, consuming about three months
bsfore they are properly tanned and
ready to bs blaokeo and finished.
Notwithstanding the fact that tn,
company has already turned out 9
large amount OF leather the DEM and To-
IL mas been steadily on the increase
and at present they have not y sipcl,
sl0e OF finished leather on hand. Will,
Mr.. jackson, who returned last weet
from n short trip among some OF tn,
shoe manufacturers of the Easter
States. brought home more orders thai
can be filled in the next three months